Factory-assembled overhead door

ABSTRACT

A factory -assembled overhead door, preferably of the &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;rolled steel&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; type, having side mounting members by which the door is mounted in place traversely along the top of a door opening. The side mounting members additionally cooperate with removable structure to form a protective enclosure about the door. This enclosure enables both safe transportation and greatly facilitated installation of the door since it provides protection against crushing or the like until after the completion of the installation of the door.

United States Patent Sherr [4 June 27, 1972 [54] FACTORY-ASSEMBLED OVERHEAD 2,208,039 7/1940 Mills ..160/133 OOR 1,177,434 3/1916 Montgomery et al.... ..160/28 2,240,834 5/1941 Dollstedt et al ..l60/28 [72] inventor: Samuel Irving Sherr, Malveme, NY. [73] Assignee: North American Door C0 'p Lindenhurst, jgzf i iffiyg ig zgs fi$222:

Attorney-Bauer & Amer [22] Filed: Feb. 9, 1971 [2 1] Appl. No.: 113,930 ABSTRACT A factory -assembled overhead door, preferably of the rolled 52 us. c1. ..206/46 n, 160/29, 160/133, steel type, having Side mwming members by which 206/59 R is mounted in place traversely along the top of a door opening. 51 lm. c1. ..B65d 85/20, E06b 9/08 The side mmming members addiimally with [58] Field 6! Search ..206/46 H, 46 M 46 z 46 LM f mm a Pmtective i the 206/59 R 59 E 59 F 59 G 52 R 52 166/27 door. Th1s enclosure enables both safe transportation and 29 1 Mtg/267 k greatly facilitated installation of the door since it provides protection against crushing or the like until after the completion References Cited of the installation of the door.

UNITED STATES PATENTS Ford ..206/46 H 4 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJUNN I972 3.672.492

INVENTOR SAMUEL IRVING SHERR BY EMIM ATTORNEYS FACTORY-ASSEMBLED OVERHEAD DOOR The present invention relates generally to an overhead door, and more particularly to such door, particularly of the rolled steel type, having an improved condition for transportation and installation at a selected site.

The bulk and weight of a typical overhead door is such that it is usually shipped in a disassembled condition. Assembly occurs at the installation site and is usually performed by experienced, skilled installation crews. Among other difficult chores that must be performed during the aforesaid field assembly is the setting of the proper starting bias for the counterbalance spring of the door. It is undoubtedly because of these transportation and installation expenses that rolled steel doors, consisting of interconnecting steel slats or the like, are not in wider use, and less desirable so-called sectional doors are used in their stead. However, the economies afforded by the improved overhead door hereof should significantly equalize the costs of rolled steel and sectional doors, and permit the selection of the door to be influenced primarily by the requirements of usage.

Broadly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a factory-assembled overhead door overcoming the foregoing and other shortcomings of the prior art. Specifically, it is an object to provide an overhead door which is advantageously assembled at the factory, then shipped to its installation site in a fully protected condition, and then adapted to be installed in place while still within its protective enclosure. Only after installation is the enclosure removed from about the door.

An improved overhead door demonstrating objects and advantages of the present invention includes an overhead door in its coiled condition about its support shaft and drum in combination with a pair of conventional side mounting members which are used to bolt the door in place and which members are additionally used, in a noteworthy manner according to the invention hereof, to cooperate with structural members to form. a crate-like enclosure about the door. Thus, the door is protected against crushing or the like during transportation and also is readily prepared for hoisting into operative position at the installation site. The necessary bolting or similar mounting arrangements to secure the door in place are accessible while the door is enclosed so that installation is not prevented.

The above brief description, as well as further objects, features and advantages of the present invention, will be more fully appreciated by reference to the following detailed description of a presently preferred, but nonetheless illustrative embodiment in accordance with the present invention, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the installation of the overhead door hereof, the full line perspective thereof illustrating the door as it is being moved into position relative to a door opening and the phantom line perspective illustrating the door in its installed position across the top of the door opening;

FIG. 2 is a plan view, in section, taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1 illustrating further structural details of the door;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing details of the left mounting member of the door; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view, similar to FIG. 3, but showing details of the right mounting member.

Reference is now made to the drawings wherein there is shown an improved factory-assembled overhead door, generally designated 10. According to the present invention the door will be understood to be in a protected, crate-like enclosure, generally designated 12, during not only its transportation to its installation site, but also during the actual installation thereof at said site. Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the fully protected overhead door 10 hereof is readily rigged for hoisting, as with the conventional arrangement 14, and lified by a crane or other such mechanism into an elevated position, designated 16 in FIG. 1, for installation along the top of a door opening 18. That is, as will be subsequently described in detail, while the door 10 is held by the rig 14 in its elevated position 16, an installation crew, which may in some cases consist of only one individual, is able to bolt or otherwise secure the door in its position 16 without dismantling the enclosure. The enclosure 12 is only removed after the completion of the installation of the door 10.

The foregoing procedure is in sharp contrast to the current practice in accordance with which, because of the great bulk and weight of a typical overhead door, such as door I0, the individual parts are shipped in disassembled condition and are required to be assembled by experienced and skilled installation crews at the installation site. Thus, as compared with prior art practice, the improved condition for transportation and installation which is afforded by the enclosure 12 for the door 10, all in accordance with the present invention, results in a substantial reduction in both the costs and the time in preparing an overhead door for use. A further significant advantage of the improved door 10 hereof is that the factory assembly thereof is achieved by personnel who are very familiar with the requirements of assembly, and furthermore can carry out the assembly in the more favorable environment of the factory rather than at the installation site where, among other things, the weather conditions may not be conducive for assembly.

Since the construction of the door 10 per se is conventional and furthermore is not necessary for an understanding of the present invention, for brevitys sake the description of such construction has been omitted. However, to illustrate the advantages of factory assembly of the door 10, it is noted, as illustrated in FIG. 2, that door 10 is conventionally constructed and, as such, includes a support shaft 20 on which the door support drum 22 is appropriately joumalled for rotation. The door itself consists of interconnected, individual slats, herein collectively designated 24, which preferably are fabricated of steel. The resulting so-called rolled steel" door is typically more expensive than a so-called sectional" door; and although it has numerous advantages over a sectional door, it is often not used because it is so expensive. Part of this expense is the installation cost. However, as herein noted as a result of the improvements afforded the door 10 by thecombination shipping and installation enclosure 12, these costs are materially reduced to an extent where a sectional doordoes not enjoy any significant cost advantage over a rolled steel door 10. For example, it is no longer a major chore to properly install the door counterbalance spring 26 in the door 10. As generally understood, spring 26 is connected between the shaft 20 and drum 22 so as to counterbalance the weight of the door slats 24, particularly in the fully closed position of the door. That is, spring 26 during descent of the door is provided with helical turns that produce an urgency or bias which tends to lift the door. This, of course, overcomes some of the weight of the door slats 24. The adjustment of spring 26 in the factory, as contemplated in accordance with the present invention, has obvious advantages over field adjustment thereof.

Turning now more specifically to the facilitated installation of the door 10 which is the crux of the present invention, it will be noted that in accordance with the present invention the previously noted enclosure 12 includes a pair of mounting members 28 and 30 operatively arranged on the support shaft 20 adjacent opposite ends of the door 10, which will be understood to be in its fully coiled condition about the drum 22. That is, it will be understood that the door 10 is in that coiled condition which it occupies when it is in its fully opened position with respect to the door opening 18.

As is clearly illustrated in FIG. 3 in conjunction with the other figures, the mounting member 28 to the left of the door 10 has a plate-like body 32 provided in its medial portion with a cylindrical opening through which the left end of the shaft 20 is projected. Formed integral with the body 32 are enclosure flanges, individually and collectively designated 36, formed on three sides of the body 32, specifically omitting the back side thereof. The flanges 36 include bolt holes, individually and collectively designated 38, which are used for completing a connection to structural members which define the enclosure 12, and thus the back side is left open, since it is not desirable to place any structural members in this location since it would, in an obvious manner, interfere with, or at least complicate, the installation of the door 10. Completing the construction of the mounting member 28 is a mounting flange 40 provided with a pair of bolt openings 42 by which, as best illustrated in FIG. 2, the enclosed door 110, 12 is bolted in place to track structure 44 which, in turn, is appropriately firmly secured to the building structure or wall 46 which bounds the door opening 18.

Since the mounting member 28 serves, as just indicated, as an integral part of the enclosure 12 and also as an operating part of the door per se, in its latter function it also includes additional structure which is conventional for overhead doors. Thus, as clearly illustrated in IFTG. 3, the mounting body 32 also includes a stop 48 appropriately fastened thereto which cooperates with a ratchet 50 fixedly mounted on the shaft 20, the rachet 50 and stop 48 being used in a well understood manner to establish the necessary starting tension of spring 26 to contribute to proper opening and closing movements of the door w. Also, lower flange 36 has an opening bounded by guides 51 to guide the free or lower end of the door 10 into the door track structure 4d. The stop or holding means which holds the shaft 20 against rotation in its mounted position in the mounting members 28 and 30 is conventional and, for brevitys sake, has been omitted.

Since the other mounting member 30 is identical to member 28, at least as far as the aspects thereof which contribute to the present invention, the similar or identical features thereof have been designated by the same reference numerals and will not be further described herein. Mounting member 30 differs from mounting member 28 only insofar as it contains additional conventional structure, as exemplified by that designated 50, which comprises the usual mechanism for hand powering the door drum 22 through rotation, and thus causing opening and closing movements of the door 24 in the door opening 18.

in addition to the mounting members 28 and 30, the protective enclosure 12 also includes a plurality of structural members, individually and collectively designated 52, which may be wooden boards or slats. The structural members 52 are ar ranged in positions spanning the members 28 and 30 and are bolted, as at 54, in place so as to define the protective enclosure about three sides of the door 10. This extent of protection enables lifting cables 56 and 58 to be looped about the door 10 without crushing the slats 24 and the cables 56, 58 are, in turn, connected to a hoisting rig l4 preparatory to lifting the door 10 into its operative position 16.

Once the door 10 is in its elevated operative position 16, it is a relatively easy matter to secure the door in place, this being achieved by the use of mounting bolts 60 being projected through the accessible bolt openings 42 of the flanges 40 of the respective mounting members 28 and 30. Thereafter, it is contemplated that the structural members 52 will be unbolted or otherwise disconnected from the mounting members 28, 30 and removed from about the coiled door 10, thereby permitting the door 10 to be placed into normal operation.

A latitude of modification, change and substitution is intended in the foregoing disclosure, and in some instances some features of the invention will be employed without a corresponding use of other features. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the spirit and scope of the invention herein.

What is claimed is:

l. A factory-assembled overhead door in an improved condition for transportation and installation at a selected site comprising the combination with said factory-assembled overhead door in a coiled-condition about a support shaft of a pair of mounting members operatively arranged on said support shaft adjacent operative ends of said door, structural members arranged about said coiled door in spanning relation between said mountingmembers so as to define a protective enclosure for said door uring said transportation to and also dunng said installation thereof at said site, said mounting members having flange means thereon accessible while said door is within said protective enclosure to contribute to said installation thereof at said site without removal of said protective enclosure, and

removable fastening means connecting said structural members and said mounting members, whereby said structural members are adapted to be readily removed from about said door following said installation thereof.

2. A factory-assembled overhead door as defined in claim 1 wherein said structural members are arranged only on three sides of said door, there being no structural members along the back of said door which might adversely interfere with said installation of said door.

3. A factory-assembled overhead door as defined in claim 2 wherein said removable fastening means are bolts which are readily disengaged from said mounting members preparatory to the removal of said structural members from about said door in its said installed position.

4. A factory-assembled overhead door as defined in claim 3 wherein said door is of the rolled steel type being fabricated of interconnected horizontally oriented steel slats. 

1. A factory-assembled overhead door in an improved condition for transportation and installation at a selected site comprising the combination with said factory-assembled overhead door in a coiled-condition about a support shaft of a pair of mounting members operatively arranged on said support shaft adjacent operative ends of said door, structural members arranged about said coiled door in spanning relation between said mounting members so as to define a protective enclosure for said door during said transportation to and also during said installation thereof at said site, said mounting members having flange means thereon accessible while said door is within said protective enclosure to contribute to said installation thereof at said site without removal of said protective enclosure, and removable fastening means connecting said structural members and said mounting members, whereby said structural members are adapted to be readily removed from about said door following said installation thereof.
 2. A factory-assembled overhead door as defined in claim 1 wherein said structural members are arranged only on three sides of said door, there being no structural members along the back of said door which might adversely interfere with said installation of said door.
 3. A factory-assembled overhead door as defined in claim 2 wherein said removable fastening means are bolts which are readily disengaged from said mounting members preparatory to the removal of said structural members from about said door in its said installed position.
 4. A factory-assembled overhead door as defined in claim 3 wherein said door is of the rolled steel type being fabricated of interconnected horizontally oriented steel slats. 